As Taliban advance, Afghan businesswomen fear return of ‘dark era’

“Whatever the circumstances, I will not give up on my work. If the Taliban come to (power), they will either have to kill me or let me continue my work.”

Fawzia Koofi: One of the few female negotiators in talks with the Taliban who has survived two assassination attempts (AFP)

As the Taliban rapidly advance across Afghanistan, designer Marzia Hafizi is worried about the survival of her fashion business and of the gains women have made in the past 20 years.

Hafizi, 29, opened her clothing shop Lora in the capital Kabul in 2018, fulfilling a long-held dream of becoming a businesswoman in her conservative, male-dominated country – an unthinkable feat during Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001.

Hafizi says, over whirring machines as men and women tailors cut, sew and iron her latest designs: “If the Taliban come back to power and impose their old, dark mentality, I might be forced to leave.

“All of my friends and family are advising me to quit and leave the country (but) my resolve to promote women’s businesses, create jobs for them and see a self-reliant Afghanistan is keeping me here and fighting for survival.”

The Taliban enforced a strict interpretation of Islamic law, that included public lashings, flogging and stonings, until they were ousted by US bombing following the 9/11 attacks.

As US-led foreign forces complete their withdrawal, the Taliban has made swift territorial gains, raising fears among women of a roll back of their rights, from education and work to freedom of movement.

During Taliban rule, women were required to cover their bodies and faces in a burqa and were barred from school, work or leaving the house without a male relative.

The militants say they have changed and that Islam gives women rights in business, work, inheritance and education but have given little detail, only saying this would be decided according to Islamic sharia, fuelling scepticism in many women.

The government has vowed not to compromise on women’s rights in exchange for peace but talks between the Taliban and Afghan politicians have failed to progress.

US National Intelligence Council analysts have predicted losses for women, even without a Taliban win, attributing women’s recent gains to external pressure, rather than domestic support.

Fawzia Koofi is one of the few female negotiators in peace talks between Afghan politicians and the Taliban.

Koofi, who has survived two assassination attempts, says: “The resistance that the women of Afghanistan have, we will not go back to scratch. We will do everything to keep women’s presence in society and in political and social life ... we will not return to the dark past.”

Women have made significant strides during the past two decades. Growing numbers have finished their education and are working in previously male bastions including politics, the media, the judiciary, hospitality and IT.

In cities such as Kabul, Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif, young women can be seen walking freely, using their smartphones, wearing western clothes and mingling with men in cafes and malls.

President Ashraf Ghani has appointed women as deputy governors in all provinces and given them ministerial roles.

Women hold 27 per cent of seats in the lower house of parliament, thanks to a quota, exceeding the global average of 25 per cent, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Women own almost 60,000 businesses, predominantly in Kabul, including restaurants, salons and handicrafts shops, according to the Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Those who spoke to the Thomson Reuters Foundation said that they had come too far to be robbed of their achievements.

Nilofar Ayubi, 28, who runs an interior design firm, Maria Clothing, that is popular with Kabul’s elite, says: “Whatever the circumstances, I will not give up on my work. If the Taliban come to (power), they will either have to kill me or let me continue my work.”

In rural areas, where conservative families and radical Islamists hold sway, most women still wear burqas and only leave home for hospital and family visits, and girls continue to be sold as brides to older men.

Nezam Uddin, head of the Peace and Human Rights Organisation, says: “There is so much more to be done to extend the very basic rights of health and education to women in rural areas, not just the Taliban-held areas, but all remote towns and villages. People are still far behind in terms of development and services, even in comparison to Kabul, let alone the standards of the regional countries.”

Massoma Jafari, 23, who sells jewellery and make-up in Kabul, says she knows the price women would have to pay if the militants seize national power.

Referring to a western province where the Taliban forced Afghan troops to retreat last month, she says: “I come from Ghor where many women have been stoned to death by the Taliban in the past. But look at me, I symbolise resistance. We hope and pray to Allah that the dark era of the Taliban never returns.”

Then she adjusts a veil covering her head.